One of the odd little "inside" jokes is the title: "Canadian Bacon" is an American term. According to the American Pork Producers Association, the name was coined to designate that style of bacon which was, many years ago, imported from Canada because such a cut was not produced in the U.S. at the time. Canadians generally call such bacon "back bacon".

In one scene, the characters played by John Candy, Bill Nunn and Kevin J. O'Connor sit around a campfire and discuss films in which black characters are killed before their white co-stars. O'Connor mentions Forrest Gump (1994), which was released six months after principal photography on "Bacon" was completed, and four months after Candy's death. The line was looped in after the scene was shot.

A deleted scene featured James Belushi and Mary Charlotte Wilcox as Canadian border guards wearing beaver hats. They improvised the entire scene. Afterward, Belushi, a relative newcomer to the comedy scene, told comedy veteran Wilcox (whom he didn't recognize) "You're kind of funny" and that she should try to get into comedy.

Alan Alda plays an unpopular president who is advised by his most loyal advisor to declare war (against Canada) in order to be more popular with population. Alda would later play an advisor in Murder at 1600 (1997) who pressures an unpopular president to get into a conflict (this time in Korea).